Street Fighter Friday Results!

For Math 12
Team ?? dominated the field with Sara earning 6 match wins, Colter earning 2 and Eric earning 1.  They earn 3 points.
Team ? came up second with Emile carrying the team with 5 wins and earning 2 points.
The Fantastic Four picked up 1 point with Lachlan earning 2 wins.

Well played everyone!  Scores in Block 4 Math 12 are now

• Team Asia - 4
• The Fantastic Four - 6
• Team ? - 6
• Team ?? - 4

Teams are a lot closer now so it's still anyone's game!  4 weeks to go after the break, make them count!

Arocena Cup Update

Big update for the Arocena Cup.
I've been a little slack in updating the scores and to be honest I've kind of suspended the competition in two of my classes.  One class mostly because the entire class seems a little lax in motivation for all things and the other class because I spend way too much time trying to keep you guys on task.
For the other two classes here are the updated scores.

For Pre-Calculus 12 in Block D

Team Asia
Samira earns 1 point for highest score on first test (actually several people earned the same but Samira had the most amusing answer for the last question)
Carrie earns 1 point for the highest score on the second test (there were several people who got the same mark but Carrie had the most amusing answer for the last question)

The Fantastic Four
Caleb earns 1 point for the highest score on the third test (he tied with other people but had the most amusing story on the last question)
The whole team earns 1 point for the highest average after term 1.

Team ?
Emile earns 1 point for the highest score on the fourth test tied with Sahej but Emile answered the last question.
Sahej earns 1 point for the highest score on the sixth test as he was the only one who aced it and did it on the day it was supposed to be written.

Team ??
Colter earns 1 point for the highest score on the fifth test as he was the only one who aced it and did it on the day it was supposed to be written.

So few people wrote the seventh test on the day it was supposed to be written that no team earned the point for that day.

So The Fantastic four are in the lead with 5 points, there is a 2-way tie for second place with 4 points, and Team ?? is on the board with 1 point.  This last week of school before break will see more opportunities for points (the Street Fighter tournament on Friday as well as the movie assignment on Thursday will be a great opportunity to earn points for your team so be prepared!)

For Foundations and Pre-Calculus Math 10 in Block A

Megan earns the point for Chapter 1
Isabella earns the point for Chapter 2
Jane L. earns the point for Chapter 3
Matthew earns the point for Chapter 4
Zech earns the point for Chapter 5

Mya earns 1 point for winning the first Street Fighter Friday.
Max earns 1 point for winning the second Street Fighter Friday.
Dawson earns 1 point for being the first in the class to beat me in a Street Fighter Friday match.

I forget which team everyone is on but I will add up the scores once I'm back in school and have the team lists.  Also our final Street Fighter Friday before the break will let each team earn more points so be prepared!

Math 9

Chapter 5 test is tomorrow and the following is the list of assignments needed to write the test.

5.1 p.214
• #4-7, 9-12, 16

5.2 p.222
• #4-10
• #11-15 (do half of each)

5.3 p.228
• #3-6
• #8-9 (pick 4 in each)
• #10, 17 (pick 2 in each)

5.4 p.234-235
• #5-8 (pick 3 in each)
• #9
• #13, 15 (pick 2 in each)

5.5 p.246-248
• #7a, 8a (pick 2 in each)
• #9, 12, 14, 18 (pick 1 in 9 and 18)
• #11, 13, 15, 16 (pick 3 in each)
• #22, 23 (pick 1 in each)

5.6 p.255-257
• #9a, 10a (pick 2 in each)
• #11, 12, 16 (pick 3 in each)
• #14, 24

BONUS: Ch. 5 Review p.259  (+30)
• #1-10
• #12, 15. 19, 22, 23, 26-29
(for questions with multiple equations pick 1)

Math 12

Chapter 6 test tomorrow.  Below are all the assignments necessary to write the test.

6.1  Complete Check Your Understanding p.296-298

• #1-8, 10, 13, 16

6.2  Complete Check Your Understanding p.306-307

• #1-2, 4-5, 8 (pick 3 from each)
• #10, 13, 15, 20 (pick 2 from 20)

6.3 Complete Check Your Understanding p.314-315

• #1-3 (pick 2 in each)
• #5-8
• #10-12 (pick 1 in each)
• #16

6.4 Complete Check Your Understanding p.320-321

• #1-2 (pick 2 in each)
• #4-10, 14

BONUS: Chapter 6 Review   (+30)
p.322-323

• #1,2 (Pick 2 in each)
• #7,8 (pick 2 in each)
• #13, 14 (pick 1 in each)
• #17, 18 (pick 2 in each)

Math 9

Here are all the assignments so far for Chapter 5.

5.1 p.214

• #4-7, 9-12, 16

5.2 p.222

• #4-10,
• #11-15 (do half of each)

5.3 p.228

• #3-6
• #8-9 (pick 4 in each)
• #10, 17 (pick 2 in each)

5.4 p.234-235     This is today’s assignment

• #5-8 (pick 3 in each)
• #9
• #13, 15 (pick 2 in each)

Tentative day for the chapter 5 test is next Wednesday.

Math 12

New term and new teams for the Arocena Cup.

Team Asia:

• Carrie
• Charles
• Ryzel
• Samira

The Fantastic Four

• Caleb
• Dakota
• Dara
• Lachlan

Team ?

• Beckett
• Emile
• Kelton
• Sahej

Team ??

• Colter
• Eric
• Meghan
• Sarah

Congrats to the Fantastic Four for getting first place in our inaugural competition.  Second place went to Team Asia and Team ? picked up third place.

Assignments so far in Chapter 6 are

6.1  Complete Check Your Understanding p.296-298

• #1-8, 10, 13, 16

6.2  Complete Check Your Understanding p.306-307

• #1-2, 4-5, 8 (pick 3 from each)
• #10, 13, 15, 20 (pick 2 from 20)

6.3 Complete Check Your Understanding p.314-315

• #1-3 (pick 2 in each)
• #5-8
• #10-12 (pick 1 in each)
• #16

Math 10

Here are the worksheets assigned so far for the Trigonometry chapter.

http://1drv.ms/1rlzaU4

The trigonometry test will be on Tuesday next week (Dec. 3rd)

Math 9

Assignments so far for Chapter 4.  Remember that your chapter 4 test is on Thursday and you will need all your assignments completed before writing.

Assignment (Each assignment is worth 10 marks)
4.1 p.159

• #4-6 - pick 2 in each
• #7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16

4.2 p.170

• #4-6
• #7, 9, 10 (pick 2 in each)
• #13, 15

4.3 p.178

• #4, 5, 6
• #7, 8, 11, 12, 17

4.4 p.188

• #3-6
• #8, 9

4.5 p.196

• #4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13

BONUS: Ch. 4 Review p.201  (+30)

• #1-17

Math 10

Here are the assignments that need to be handed in for Thursday's Chapter 4 test.

Each Assignment is worth 15 marks
4.2 p.211-212
• #3, 5-8, 10-12, 14-15, 17, 20

4.3 p.218-219
• #4-5, do half of each
• #9
• #10-12, do half of each
• #13-16, 20-22

4.4 p.227-228
• #3-7, 10-14 (pick 3 in each)
• #15-19

4.5 p.233-234
• #3, 6-10, 13 (complete half of each)
• #14, 15

4.6 p.241-243
• #3-7 (pick 2 in each)
• #8-10 (pick 4 in each)
• #12-14
• #15-16 (pick 2 in each)
• #21 (pick 1)

BONUS(+30):  Ch4 Review p.246-248   #1, 3, 6, 11-14, 17-20, 25, 28-30

Math 12

Assignments for Chapter 5 are as follows.  Test will be next Tuesday

5.1  Complete Check Your Understanding p.233-237

• #1, 2
• #4-9 (pick 2 in each)
• #10, 14, 15, 19, 20

5.2 Complete Check Your Understanding p. 250-254

• #1-2 (pick 3 in each)
• #4-5, 7 (pick 2 in each)
• #8-10
• #14-16 (pick 1)
• #22

5.3 Complete Check Your Understanding p.262-265

• #1-3
• #7-12
• #C2

5.4 Complete Check Your Understanding p.275-280

• #1-4, 6-7
• #9-21 (pick any 6)

Math 9

Assignments so far for Chapter 4

4.1 p.159

• #4-6 (pick 2 in each)
• #7,8,9,12,14,16

4.2 p.170

• #4,5,6
• #7,9,10 (pick 2 in each)
• #13, 15

4.3 p.178

• #4-7
• #8, 11, 12, 17

4.4 p.188

• #3,5,6

Math 9

Today's assignment:
4.3 p.178-180

• #4-8
• #11, 12, 15, 17 (no table is necessary for 15)

Math 12

Today's assignment:

5.1  Complete Check Your Understanding p.233-237

• #1, 2
• #4-9 (pick 2 in each)
• #10, 14, 15, 19, 20

Math 9

Assignments for Chapter 4 so far are

4.1 p.159

• #4-9
• #12, 14, 16

4.2 p.170

• #4, 5, 6
• #7, 9, 10 (pick 2 in each)
• #13, 15

Math 10

Assignments for Chapter 3 are listed below.  Remember that your Chapter 3 test will be on Wednesday!

3.1 p.140
• #3-6 (pick 3 in each
• #8-11 (pick 3 in each)
• #12, 13, 15-16 (pick 3 in each), 17

3.2 p.146
• #4-6 (pick 3 in each)
• #7-8 (pick 1)
• #9-11, 13, 14, 17

3.3 p.155
• #5-6, 8, 10 (do only half of the problems in each)
• #12-15
• #16 (pick 3)
• #17-18

3.5 p.166
• #7, 9-10 (pick 2 in 9 and 10)
• #11-12 (pick 4 in each), 13
• #14 (pick 4)
• #16-18, 21 (pick in 21)

3.6 p.177-178
• #8-10 (pick 3 in each)
• #12, 13, 15 (pick 4 in each)
• #18, 19 (do half in each)
• #21

3.7 p.186
• #4-5, 9-10 (pick 2 in each)
• #12, 15 (pick 3), 17, 21 (pick 2)

3.8 p.194
• #4 (pick 4)
• #5-6 (pick 2 in each)
• #8, 10-12, (pick 3 in each)
• #14, 16, 18, 20 (pick 1 in 20)

BONUS:  Ch3 Review p.198
• #1-3, 6-8, 13, 18, 25, 27, 33 (for questions with multiple equations, pick 1)

Math 12

Assignments for Chapter 4 are listed below.  Remember your Chapter 4 test is on Wednesday!  Also point for Team D as Emile was the first to get the surface area of the cake icing correct.  I have not been doing a good job of keeping the scores up to date but rest assured they will be updated soon!

4.1  Complete Check Your Understanding  p.175-178
• #1-6 (pick 3 in each)
• #7-9 (Pick 3 in each)
• #10, 11 (pick 4)
• #12-13 (pick 2 in each)
• #14-16, 22

4.2  Complete Check Your Understanding p.186-189
• #1-3 (pick 3 in each)
• #4-5 (pick 4 in each), 6
• #7, 8, 10-13, 16
• #19

4.3  Complete Check Your Understanding p.201-204
• #1, 3 (pick 5 in each)
• #5 (pick 2)
• #6-7 (pick 3 in each), 8
• #9, 10 (pick 3 in each)
• #14, 19

4.4  Complete Check Your Understanding p.211-213
• #1-3
• #4-5 (pick 3 in each), 8
• #9, 11-14, 16, 20

BONUS: Ch.4 Review p.215-216
• #1-23  (for questions with multiple equations, pick 2)

Math 9

Here are all of the Chapter 3 assignments that will be necessary for Friday's test.  Remember to get them complete so you can write the test on time!

3.1 p.101-103
• #5,7,10,12 - pick 2 in each
• #13, 15
• #16, 17, 18 - pick 2 in each
• #24

3.2 p.112 - 113
• #9, 11 (pick 5 in each)
• #13-15, 20

3.3 p.119-120
• #5, 6 (pick 2 in each)
• #8
• #9, 12, 13, 15 (pick 2 in each)

3.4 p.127
• #3-5, 7 - pick 2 in each
• #8, 9, 11, 12

3.5 p.134-136
• #3-4 (pick 3 in each)
• #6
• #7, 9 (pick 3 in each) - For 7 it is ok to use a calculator
• #10, 11, 12 (pick 4 in 12), 16

3.6 p.140-142  --> Haven't covered this topic yet but will do so tomorrow!
• #3, 4 (pick 2 in each)
• #5
• #7 (pick 2 in each)
• #10
• #12, 13 (pick2 in each)
• #18

BONUS: Ch. 3 Review p.144-145  (+30)
#1-23 (for questions with multiple problems, pick 1)

Math 9

Today's assignment
3.2 p.112 - 113

• #9, 11 (pick 5 in each)
• #13-15, 20

Math 9

Assignments so far for Chapter 3

• 3.1 p.101-103
• #5,7,10,12 - pick 2 in each
• #13, 15
• #16, 17, 18 - pick 2 in each
• #24
• 3.4 p.127
• #3-5, 7 - pick 2 in each
• #8, 9, 11, 12
• 3.5 p.134-136
• #3-4 (pick 3 in each)
• #6
• #7, 9 (pick 3 in each) - For 7 it is ok to use a calculator
• #10, 11, 12 (pick 4 in 12), 16

Math 12

Assignments this week:

• Complete Check Your Understanding  p.175-178
• Practice #1-6 (pick 3 in each) 
• Practice #7-9 (Pick 3 in each)
• Practice #10, 11 (pick 4)
• Practice #12-13 (pick 2 in each)
• Apply #14-16, 22

Math 11

Chapter 2 test tomorrow so make sure you have the following worksheets complete:

• p.76-79 Practice Your New Skills #1-5
• p.96-99 Practice Your New Skills #1-4
• p.105-108 Practice Your New Skills #1-4
• p.117-118 Practice Your New Skills #1-3
• BONUS: League Worksheet  (+30)

Math 12

Today's assignment:
CompleteComplete Check Your Understanding p.175

• Practice #1-6 (pick 3 in each)

Math 10

Assignments so far for Chapter 3
3.1 p.140

• #3-6 (pick 3 in each
• #8-11 (pick 3 in each)
• #12, 13, 15-16 (pick 3 in each), 17

3.2 p.146

• #4-6 - pick 3 in each
• #7-8 - pick 1 in each
• #9-11, 13, 14, 17

Math 9

Assignments so far for Chapter 3
3.1 p.101-103

• #5,7,10,12 - pick 2 in each
• #13, 15
• #16, 17, 18 - pick 2 in each
• #24

3.4 p.127

• #3-5, 7 - pick 2 in each
• 8, 9, 11, 12

Math 10

This chapter's assignments

• 2.1  p. 75-77 #3-5, 9-11, 13-15, 17-18
• 2.2 p. 82-83 #3-4, 6-14
• p.88 #1-5
• 2.4 p. 95 #4-8, 11-14, 16, 18
• 2.5 p.101-102 #3-11
• 2.6  p. 111-112 #3-14
• 2.7 p. 118-120 #3-14

BONUS:  Ch2 Review p. 124-126 #3, 8, 13, #15-21, 22

Chapter 2 test will be on Friday.

Math 9

This Chapter's assignments

1.1 Practice p.11-13
• #3-7 (odd letters or even letters for 5 and 7)
• #8-10 (odd letters or even letters)
• #14, 15
1.2 Practice p.18-20
• #4-7 (odd letters or even letters), #8
• #11-13 (odd letters or even letters)
• #15, 21
1.3 Practice p.30-31
• #5-6, 8, 11
1.4 Practice p.40-43
• #3abc, 4b, 5a, 7, 13
BONUS:  Chapter 1 Review p.45-47
• #1-9 (ace only)
• #16ab, 19

Math 9

Today's assignment:

Complete Practice p.30-31 #5-6, 8, 11

Chapter 1 test will be on Friday.

Remember, checking your answers is ok.  Copying the answers and not doing the work is not ok.  See me for help if needed.

Math 12

This chapter's assignments

Complete Check Your Understanding p.114-116
• Practice #1-2 (pick 3 from each), 3, 4(pick 3)
• Apply #6, 7, 9
• Extend #11, 12
Complete Check Your Understanding p.124-125
• Practice #1-2, 3-4 (pick 3 from each), 6 (pick 3)
• Apply #8 (pick 2), 9, 10,
• Extend #16
Complete Check Your Understanding p.133-135
• Practice #1-5 (pick 3 from each or for 5, just e)
• Apply #7 (pick 2), 9, 11, 13
Complete Check Your Understanding p.147-151
• Practice #1-2 (pick 2 from each), 3, 5-6, 7 (pick 2),
• Apply #10 (pick 2), 12, 16
• Extend #20
BONUS:  Chapter 3 Review p.153-154  (+30)
#1-15 (for questions with multiple equations, pick 1)

Chapter 3 test will be on Friday.

Math 11

Today's assignment:
- Complete the Build Your Skills questions on the worksheet package

Remember that your Rube Goldberg machine videos are due on Oct. 20th (this coming Monday!).

Math 10

This chapter's assignments.

2.1  p. 75-77 #3-5, 9-11, 13-15, 17-18

2.2 p. 82-83 #3-4, 6-14

p.88 #1-5

2.4 p. 95 #4-8, 11-14, 16, 18

2.5 p.101-102 #3-11

2.6  p. 111-112 #3-14

2.7 p. 118-120 #3-14

BONUS:  Ch2 Review p. 124-126 #3, 8, 13, #15-21, 22

The chapter 2 test will be on Thursday.

Math 11

This week's assignments
- Complete Practise Your New Skills p.76-79
- Decide what your Rube Goldberg Machine will do.  Remember this project is due on Oct. 20th!

Math 10

This week's assignments

• 2.1 p.75-77 #3-5, 9-11, 13-15, 17-18
• 2.2 p.82-83 #3-4, 6-14
• p.88 #1-5
• 2.4 p. 95 #4-8, 11-14, 16, 18
• 2.5 p.101-102 #3-11

Math 12

This week's assignments

Complete Check Your Understanding p.114-116
• Practice #1-2 (pick 3 from each), 3, 4(pick 3)
• Apply #6, 7, 9
• Extend #11, 12
Complete Check Your Understanding p.124
• Practice #1-2, 3-4 (pick 3 from each)

Math 9

Assignments so far for Chapter 2:

1.1 Complete p.11-13

• #3-7 (for 5 and 7 only do odd or even letters)
• #8-10 (odd or even letters only)
• #14, 15

1.2 Complete p. 18-20

• #4-7 (odd or even letters only)
• #8
• #11-13 (odd or even letters only)
• #15, 21

Math 10

Today's assignment
Complete Exercises p. 75-77 #3-5, 9-11, 13-15, 17-18

Math 11

Today's assignment

Complete
p.17 Build Your Skills #11-13
p.17-19 Practice Your New Skills #1-9
p.32-35 Practice Your new Skills #1-5
Slope: Two-Point Formula Worksheet
1.3 Slope as Rate of Change Worksheet

Test is Tuesday!

Math 12

Today's assignment

Complete Check Your Understanding p.72-77
• Practice #1-4, 5ace (or bdf)
• Apply #7, 10, 12, 13, 16
• Extend #19
Complete Check Your Understanding p.86-89
• Practice #2-4, 5-8ac
• Apply #10-12, 14
• Extend #19
Complete Check Your Understanding p.96-98
• Practice #1-2, 3 (pick 2), 4, 5-7(pick 2 from each)
• Apply #9, 11, 14
• Extend #17
BONUS:  Chapter 2 Review p.99-101  (+30)
#1-18 (for questions with multiple equations, pick 1)

Test will be on Thursday!

Math 10

Today's assignment
Complete Exercises p. 42-44 #5, 7-9, 11-14, 18, 22

Math 11

Today's assignment:
Complete the Build Your Skills questions on the Working with Grade package.

• p.28-29 #6-8
• p.31 #9-11

Math 12

Here is a list of all assignments for Chapter 1.

Assignment (Each assignment is worth 15 marks)

Function Review Worksheet

Complete Check Your Understanding p.12-15 Practise #1-4 Apply #5-11, 15-16 Extend #18-19

Complete Check Your Understanding pg.28-31 Practice #1-7 Apply #8-12 Extend #14, 16

Complete Check Your Understanding pg.38-42 Practice #1-6 Apply #7-10, 13-14 Extend #15, 17

Complete Check Your Understanding p.51-55 #1-7 #10, 12, 14, 17, 20

BONUS:  Chapter 1 Review p.56-57  (+30) #1-17

The Chapter 1 test was pushed back to Wednesday.  A reminder that all these assignments must be completed before you can write the test.

Math 9

No assignment today because of the RAD assignment.
But, here is a list of all the assignments assigned so far as well as tomorrow's assignment.  These must be completed by Wednesday because Wednesday will be the Chapter 2 test.
Remember that you must have your assignments complete before you can write the test.

Assignment (Each assignment is worth 10 marks)

Practice p.55-56 #7-9, 11-14

Practice p.61 #4-14

Practice p.66-68 #1-8, 12, 16, 18, 22

Practice p.76-78 #4-8, 10, 11, 13, 15

Practice p.84-85 #4-8, 13, 15-17

BONUS: Ch1 Review p.87-89 (+25) #1-27

Math 9

Today's assignment:
 - Complete Practice p.66-68 #1-8, 12, 16, 18, 22

Math 10

Today's assignment
Complete Exercises p.34-35

• #4-16
• #18, 21

Math 12

Today's assignment
Complete Check Your Understanding pg.28-31

• Practice #1-7
• Apply #8-12
• Extend #14, 16

Apprenticeship Math 11

Today's assignment:
Working with Ratio and Proportion Package

• Complete Build Your Skills#1-3 on p.11
• Complete Build Your Skills #4-6 on p.12

Complete Working With Slope Package

• Complete Build Your Skills #7 on p.14
• Complete Build Your Skills #8-13 on p.15-17
• Complete Practise Your New Skills #1-9 on p.17-19

Math 9

Today's assignment:
Complete Practice p. 61 #4-14

Math 10

Today's assignment:

• Complete Exercises p. 22-24 #5-6, 8-16

Math 12

Today's assignment
Complete Check Your Understanding p.12-15

• Practise #1-4
• Apply #5-11, 15-16
• Extend #18-19

Math 12

Today's assignment:
Complete:

• Function Review Worksheet

Math 10

Today's assignment:
Complete:

• Exercises pg.11-12 #3-22

Math 9

Today's assignment:
Complete

• p.55-56 #7-9, 11-14

Class Goals for 2014-2015

So the BC education crisis has finally been resolved and teachers and students are going back to school next week.  The whole crisis was very demoralizing and as a result I did not do much planning or prep work for this coming year.  Thankfully my course load for the 2014-2015 year are mostly classes I've taught already so the material is not going to be new to me.  Rather than let my practice get stagnant though, I'm going to implement a few changes in some of my classes with the intent that I will eventually roll out all the changes into all of my classes.

So here's a list of things I want to do for this year.

• Gamify my Foundations and Principals of Math 10 class.  I've taught this class a few times and the last time I taught it I made a list of all the assignments and tests I would give out (the reason I made the list was totally unrelated to gamifying the class).
  For those a little unfamiliar with gamification of a class it's the idea that you treat the class like a game.  Students will start at the bottom and work their way to end game.  Along the way they will earn achievements and awards and points that show their progress.  Having the list of assignments already prepared makes gamifying this class easier than my others and will allow me to explore the advantages of game based learning.
• Flip my Mathematics 9 class.  I've taught this class so many times that it will be very boring if I don't change something.  So what better way than to screencast my lessons and let the students work through it at their own pace.  Unfortunately I'd have to screencast multiple lessons so that the students who work faster can actually work faster, but that's not a problem.  Unlike other teachers who are just starting to screencast, I've already experimented with it and have a very good set up already.  Will probably live stream the lessons while I am recording so that students can watch after school if they did not fully understand in class.
  Why not gamify this class since I taught it a bunch already?  I don't have a list of all the assignments I give out because every time I taught the class in the past, it was with a different text book each time.
• Genius Hour in my Apprenticeship Math 11.  This is the only class that is brand spanking new for me.  It's a very basic math class designed to teach basic math skills such as measurement, unit conversions, simple trigonometry and geometry and basic finances.  Genius Hour should work wonderfully for this group as they need something other than lectures to keep them focused on the task and what they need to learn.  Not sure if I will do a full semester project or maybe a few shorter projects but one of them will involve setting up an online business using the many resources at Shopify (thanks to my sister who happens to be an design guru at Shopify).  Being a math class though the projects will probably have some direction (namely make the project math related in some way) so that people outside my class won't think it's just free time (truth be told genius hour kind of is free time though)
• Start a gaming club.  This one is going to be tough I think since I work an hour away from where I live.  Given the rise of esports and the fact that the video game population of schools is generally always underserved, this shouldn't be a bad idea on paper.  Besides, maybe if one of the players is good enough they might get an esports scholarship at the end of the day.  Ideally I could get a full 5 man team of League of Legends to play regulary and then maybe expand it by reaching out to other similar gamer teachers in the area and maybe start a Northern BC League of Legends league.  Call it the NBC Premiere League or something.

My Pre-Calculus 12 class is left out from any changes for now.  The nature of the course almost dictates a lecture from the front approach if one wants to cover all the material in a timely manner.  Mind you the year is long and some of my class changes may find their way into next semester's Pre-Calculus 12 class.

Hopefully I can meet at least one of the four (I will be super excited if I meet all four!) goals this year!

SWTOR in Math - Quest Example

Thought I'd share one of the quest chains I came up with for my SWTOR in Math course.  Keep in mind that the course is being designed for grade 8s in British Columbia (curriculum document found here: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/mathematics/2008math89.pdf)

This example is designed to meet the following prescribed learning outcome (PLO)

• C1 – Develop and apply the Pythagorean theorem to solve problems

The in-game map in SWTOR provides a lot of information and one of the most useful pieces is the (x,y) coordinates of both the cursor and the player.  Combine this with the fact that finding the distance between two points is really just an application of Pythagorean theorem, makes for a great activity where the students pick random points on their in-game map and calculate the distance between their players and these points.

The first part of the quest is to watch a few lessons on how to actually apply the Pythagorean theorem to find distance (lessons courtesy of the Khan Academy currently) and then there are a few questions that need to be answered to see if they understood.  This part of the quest can be attempted an unlimited number of times until they are satisfied with their XP gain.  Moodle does a good job of randomly selecting questions without duplication but does require a large enough question bank to be truly effective and random.

If they answer enough questions correctly a bonus mission becomes available where they can answer more Pythagoras/distance formula questions and if they answer enough of those correctly they get a badge.  This bonus challenge has a limited number of tries though so the students need to be fairly proficient if they want the badge.

The second part is then to play the game and pick two points on their map, take a screen shot of the map and show the calculations necessary to show the distance between the two points.  This part can also be done an infinite number of times (or until the student gets it right) so if the first attempt is wrong, I can correct the student and coach him/her on how to do it properly.

I think this is a great way to introduce Pythagoras/distance formula as the student can see an application of it within a somewhat useful (or at least fun) context.  For future quests I will expand on this skill and ask them to calculate their character's speed as one of the PLOs in Math 8 relates to solving problems involving rates.  And to further expand, once the students get their speeders (or other mount) they can calculate their speeder's speed and compare the percentages (another PLO deals with percent problems)

As I try to think of quests for the course, I am finding that I need to brush up on my SWTOR play (been a few months since I really played) because I've forgotten how certain things are done in the game.

SWTOR in school (my take on WoW in school)

On one of my escapades into the twitter educational hashtag world I ran into this website.
http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/

Absolutely amazing idea and has been around for a few years now.

The basic idea behind WoW in School is to use WoW (World of Warcraft) to help students learn.  At first the program started as an after school program to help some of the disenfranchised students catch up in a non-traditional environment, but then evolved into an alternative language arts course.

The class had no grades and instead you earned XP for completing various quests.  There's a scale that determines your level and students were free to choose what quests they did and how much XP they earned.  Each task had a rubric so students knew what to do to earn maximum XP and what was needed to advance their student level.  I couldn't find it, but I'm sure there are also course badges for reaching certain milestones.  The students had a lot of fun and were very successful in meeting the language arts outcomes in a way that surprised the more traditional teachers.

I loved this idea and chose to try and adapt it for a math class.  Now WoW does require a subscription so I decided to use a free MMORPG instead.  My choice was Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) as I had played it since launch (consistently for a year, then off and on after that).  The game itself is just as polished as WoW and offered interesting writing opportunities with the choice based dialogue.  SWTOR does have higher system requirements than WoW though and that might prove a hindrance in implementing it as the school computers in the district tend to be low powered even compared to the cheap pre-built systems you can buy.

The challenge was determining what in-game activities you could do that matched the various math key outcomes at the various grade levels.  The following document outlines activities in-game that would match the key math 8 outcomes our department identified.
Math 8

Because the original WoW in School project was a language arts based course, it would be easy to accommodate the english 8 outcomes and thus I envisioned the course to be a hybrid language arts/math 8 course.  I haven't approached any english teachers about joining me on this project as none of the ones in the building are gamers except for the one who got into a car accident and is still out with a concussion (no other serious injury thankfully)

I realized after coming up with that list that I would need to fit in actual math lessons so the students would know how to do the calculations.  This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be as I could present the math lessons as tasks in the quest chain that would give XP upon completion (and the XP scaled based on how well you completed the math task).  I added additional quizzes/worksheets as Bonus quests that gave out XP and if completed at a high enough level, achievement badges.  This mirrored the grinding Bonus quests in many of SWTORs quest chains.

Finding good lessons online is an on-going task and so far I have just been using Khan Academy videos as I find those the easiest to follow (and other schools around the world use their videos too).  I'm proficient with screen casting so may move to making my own videos that more closely match the in-game activities.

Once complete (still working out all the quest chains, activities and the Moodle logistics), I'm hoping the administration at whatever school I am at next year will let me pilot the project.  Although if they don't it won't be that much of a waste as I have already learned a lot about Moodle and have found many resources which will help my practice anyways.  Plus with Moodle's export function I can always have the course ready to go wherever I go.

I'd love to try and use 3d GameLab but their free account is not available yet.  From reviews 3d GameLab is more useful than Moodle for gamifying a class.

Games I want to incorporate into my classes

The Twitterverse is quite an amusing place.  So many people posting about so many things (both mundane and useful).

I have to admit that I post some pretty mundane stuff as well but I have enjoyed the amount of useful educational information Twitter has given me.  A lot of the trending hashtags and topics on my feed are education related and following them for even a few minutes a day gives me so many interesting things to read and to try in the future.

One of my favourite trends to follow are the various games based learning posts I see.  So many teachers and educators are involved in this (a lot more than I would have imagined) and gives me encouragement to try to incorporate more games based learning in my classes.

Among the games I want to try and incorporate are Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program.  I stumbled upon minecraftedu.com many months ago but today while browsing through the Digital Learning Day hashtags ran across kerbaledu.com.  Two great games that have amazing applicability to learning.  Now I just need to buy the games.